1 #LyX 2.4 created this file. For more info see https://www.lyx.org/
5 \save_transient_properties true
9 % DO NOT ALTER THIS PREAMBLE!!!
11 %This preamble is designed to ensure that the document prints
12 % out as advertised. If you mess with this preamble,
13 % parts of the document may not print out as expected. If you
14 % have problems LaTeXing this file, please contact
15 % the documentation team
16 % email: lyx-docs@lists.lyx.org
18 % the pages of the TOC is numbered roman
19 % and a pdf-bookmark for the TOC is added
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56 \pdf_title "Introduction to LyX"
57 \pdf_author "LyX Team"
58 \pdf_subject "LyX-documentation Intro"
59 \pdf_keywords "LyX, documentation"
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122 Introduction to \SpecialChar LyX
127 by the \SpecialChar LyX
132 \begin_layout Plain Layout
134 If you have comments on or corrections to this documentation, please send
135 them to the \SpecialChar LyX
136 Documentation mailing list:
137 \begin_inset CommandInset href
139 target "lyx-docs@lists.lyx.org"
153 \begin_layout Standard
154 \begin_inset CommandInset toc
155 LatexCommand tableofcontents
162 \begin_layout Section
163 The Philosophy of \SpecialChar LyX
167 \begin_layout Subsection
168 What is \SpecialChar LyX
172 \begin_layout Standard
174 is a document preparation system.
175 It excels at letting you create complex technical and scientific articles
176 with mathematics, cross-references, bibliographies, indexes, etc.
177 It is very good for working with documents of any length in which the usual
178 processing abilities are required: automatic sectioning and pagination,
179 spell checking and so forth.
180 It can also be used to write a letter to your mom, though granted, there
181 are probably simpler programs available for that.
182 It is definitely not the best tool for creating banners, flyers, or advertiseme
183 nts (we'll explain why later), though with some effort all these can be
185 Here are some examples of what it is used for: memos, letters, dissertations
186 and theses, lecture notes, seminar notebooks, conference proceedings, software
187 documentation, books, articles in refereed scientific journals, scripts
188 for plays and movies, business proposals, presentations \SpecialChar ldots
192 \begin_layout Standard
193 Part of the initial challenge of using \SpecialChar LyX
194 comes from the change in thinking
195 that you, the user, must make.
196 At one time, all we had for creating documents were typewriters, so we
197 all learned certain tricks to get around their limitations.
198 Underlining, which is little more than overstriking with the
199 \begin_inset Quotes eld
203 \begin_inset Quotes erd
206 character, became a way to emphasize text.
207 You were forced to figure out column sizes and tab stops, and set them,
208 before creating a table.
209 The same applied for letters and other right justified text.
210 Hyphenation at the end of a line required a careful eye and a lot of foresight.
213 \begin_layout Standard
214 In other words, we've all been trained to worry about the little details
215 of which character goes where.
216 Consequently, almost all word processors have this mentality.
217 They still use tab stops for adding whitespace.
218 You still need to worry about exactly where on the page something will
220 Emphasizing text means changing a font, similar to changing the typewriter
222 This is the underlying philosophy of a WYSIWYG word processor:
223 \begin_inset Quotes eld
226 What You See Is What You Get
227 \begin_inset Quotes erd
231 Unfortunately, that paradigm often results in
232 \begin_inset Quotes eld
235 What You See Is All You Get
236 \begin_inset Quotes erd
242 \begin_layout Standard
243 This is where \SpecialChar LyX
244 differs from an ordinary word processor.
245 You don't concern yourself with what character goes where.
246 You tell \SpecialChar LyX
252 takes care of the rest, following a set of rules called a
257 Let's look at a little example:
260 \begin_layout Standard
261 Suppose you are writing a report.
262 To begin your report, you want a section called
263 \begin_inset Quotes eld
266 Introduction\SpecialChar endofsentence
268 \begin_inset Quotes erd
271 So, you go into whatever menu it is in your word processor that changes
272 font sizes and decide on a new font size.
273 Then you turn on bold face.
275 \begin_inset Quotes eld
287 \begin_inset Quotes erd
291 Of course, if you later decide that this section belongs someplace else
292 in the document or if you insert a new section before it, you need to change
293 the numbering for this and all following sections, as well as any entry
294 in the table of contents.
297 \begin_layout Standard
299 , you go to the pull-down on the far left of the button bar and select
305 \begin_inset Quotes eld
309 \begin_inset Quotes erd
315 \begin_layout Standard
317 If you cut and paste the section, it will automatically be renumbered —
319 And if you enter references to that section correctly (by inserting cross-refer
320 ence tags), \SpecialChar LyX
321 will automatically update them all throughout the file so that
322 you never, ever type a section number.
325 \begin_layout Standard
326 Now let's look at the problem of consistency.
327 Five days later, you reopen your report and start Section
332 However, you forget that you were using 18
333 \begin_inset space \thinspace{}
336 pt bold instead of 16
337 \begin_inset space \thinspace{}
340 pt, so you type in the heading for Section
344 4 in a different font from the one you used for Section
349 That problem doesn't even exist in \SpecialChar LyX
351 The computer takes care of all that silly bookkeeping about which thing
352 has what size font, not you.
353 After all, that's what a computer is good at.
356 \begin_layout Standard
357 Here's another example.
358 Suppose you're making a list.
359 In other word processors, a list is just a bunch of tab stops and newlines.
360 You need to figure out where to put the label for each list item, what
361 that label should be, how many blank lines to put between each item, and
363 Under \SpecialChar LyX
364 , you have only two concerns: what kind of list is this, and what
365 do I want to put in it? That is it.
368 \begin_layout Standard
369 So, the basic idea behind \SpecialChar LyX
380 \begin_inset Quotes eld
383 What You See Is What You Get,
384 \begin_inset Quotes erd
389 \begin_inset Quotes eld
392 What You See Is What You
397 \begin_inset Quotes erd
401 \begin_inset Quotes eld
405 \begin_inset Quotes erd
408 It's a powerful idea that greatly simplifies the mechanics of writing documents.
409 This is also why \SpecialChar LyX
410 isn't so good for creating posters and flyers.
415 want to specify exactly where everything goes, because there are no functional
416 units like paragraphs, sections, etc.
417 This doesn't mean \SpecialChar LyX
418 is missing some cool function.
419 It simply means that it isn't the right tool for the job — you don't use
420 a screwdriver to drive in nails.
423 \begin_layout Standard
425 If you cut and paste the section, it will automatically be renumbered —
427 And if you enter references to that section correctly (by inserting cross-refer
428 ence tags), \SpecialChar LyX
429 will automatically update them all throughout the file so that
430 you never, ever type a section number.
433 \begin_layout Subsection
434 Differences between \SpecialChar LyX
435 and Other (Crappy) Word Processors
438 \begin_layout Standard
439 Here's a list of things you won't find in \SpecialChar LyX
443 \begin_layout Itemize
447 \begin_layout Itemize
451 \begin_layout Itemize
453 \begin_inset space \thinspace{}
457 \begin_inset space \space{}
471 \begin_layout Standard
472 Tab stops, along with a ruler showing you the position of things on the
473 page, are useless in \SpecialChar LyX
475 The program worries about where things go on the page, not you.
476 Extra whitespace is similar; \SpecialChar LyX
477 adds it where necessary, depending on context.
478 Not being able to type two blank lines in a row will be annoying at first,
479 but it makes more sense once you're thinking in WYSIWYM terms.
482 \begin_layout Standard
483 Here are some things that exist in \SpecialChar LyX
484 , but aren't used as you might think:
487 \begin_layout Itemize
491 \begin_layout Itemize
495 \begin_layout Itemize
497 \begin_inset space \thinspace{}
501 \begin_inset space \space{}
504 single spaced, double spaced, etc.)
507 \begin_layout Itemize
508 Whitespace, horizontal and vertical
511 \begin_layout Itemize
515 \begin_layout Itemize
516 Typefaces (bold, italic, underline, etc.)
519 \begin_layout Standard
520 Although they exist in \SpecialChar LyX
521 , you generally don't need them.
523 will take care of these things for you, depending on what you're doing.
524 Different parts of the document are automatically set in a different typeface
526 Paragraph indenting is context dependent; different types of paragraphs
527 get indented differently.
528 Page breaks get handled automatically, as well.
529 In general, the space between lines, between words, and between paragraphs
530 is variable, set by \SpecialChar LyX
535 \begin_layout Plain Layout
536 There are ways to adjust all of these (only some of which require knowledge
537 of \SpecialChar LaTeX
538 ), either for a whole document or for a specific location in a document.
555 \begin_layout Standard
556 Lastly, there are a few areas where we believe \SpecialChar LyX
557 (and \SpecialChar LaTeX
558 ) surpasses many word
562 \begin_layout Itemize
566 \begin_layout Itemize
570 \begin_layout Itemize
574 \begin_layout Itemize
578 \begin_layout Itemize
582 \begin_layout Standard
583 Granted, many modern word processors can handle mathematical symbols, tables,
584 and hyphenation, and many have moved towards style definitions and the
586 However, they've only recently been able to do so, whereas \SpecialChar LyX
588 the \SpecialChar LaTeX
589 document preparation system.
591 has been around since 1985, and
598 \begin_layout Subsection
599 What is \SpecialChar LaTeX
603 \begin_layout Standard
605 is a document preparation system designed by Leslie Lamport in 1985.
609 \begin_layout Plain Layout
610 The source for the info in this section is
612 A Guide to \SpecialChar LaTeX2e
615 , by Helmut Kopka and Patrick Daly, which has an entry in the bibliography
620 \SpecialChar endofsentence
626 It was built up from a typesetting language called \SpecialChar TeX
630 takes a sequence of typesetting commands, written in a script in an ASCII
631 file, and executes them.
633 \begin_inset Quotes eld
637 \begin_inset Quotes erd
640 of the printing trade were modeled by Knuth as computer algorithms and
641 incorporated into \SpecialChar TeX
642 , hence its excellent printed appearance.
643 What comes directly out of \SpecialChar TeX
644 is the portable document format
649 \begin_inset Quotes eld
653 \begin_inset Quotes erd
661 The dvi format is often used for previews and can later be converted to
662 other formats like PostScript.
666 \begin_layout Standard
668 isn't only a typesetting engine; it also allows you to define macros.
669 Most people who use \SpecialChar TeX
670 are actually using a macro package which Knuth created
671 to hide a lot of the typesetting details.
672 This is where Leslie Lamport enters our story.
673 He wanted a macro package that was more user- and less typesetter-oriented,
674 with a set of commands that consistently typeset things like sections,
675 tables or math formulas in a uniform, consistent fashion.
676 This is how \SpecialChar LaTeX
680 \begin_layout Standard
681 Now, in parallel with the development and growth of \SpecialChar LaTeX
682 , other folks were creating
683 their own custom macro packages for \SpecialChar TeX
684 , ones to make slides or articles for
685 math journals and so on.
686 Some used the raw \SpecialChar TeX
687 facilities to do this, others began modifying \SpecialChar LaTeX
689 To try and unify this mess, a team of \SpecialChar LaTeX
690 -nicians began to work on \SpecialChar LaTeX2e
692 version of \SpecialChar LaTeX
693 , during the late 1980's.
694 This new version of \SpecialChar LaTeX
695 has commands which provide an easier-to-use interface
697 's macro-creating commands, aid in the use of new fonts, and so on.
698 In fact, \SpecialChar LaTeX
699 is quite an extensive language in its own right! Users around
700 the world have been creating their own add-ons for \SpecialChar LaTeX
705 \begin_layout Standard
706 There are two ways to extend \SpecialChar LaTeX
707 : classes and styles.
712 is a set of \SpecialChar LaTeX
713 macros describing a new type of document, like a book, or
715 There are classes for slides, for physics and math journals\SpecialChar ldots
717 even have a class for their thesis format.
722 differs from a class in that it doesn't define a new type of document,
723 but a different type of
727 that any document can use.
728 For example, \SpecialChar LyX
729 controls page margins and line spacing using two different
731 style-files designed for these purposes.
732 There are style-files for a whole slew of things: printing labels or envelopes,
733 changing indentation behavior, adding new fonts, manipulating graphics,
734 designing fancy page headings, customizing bibliographies, altering the
735 location and appearance of footnotes, tables, and figures, customizing
739 \begin_layout Standard
743 \begin_layout Description
745 : Typesetting language with macro capability.
748 \begin_layout Description
750 : Macro package built upon \SpecialChar TeX
751 \SpecialChar endofsentence
755 \begin_layout Description
756 classes: Descriptions of types of document used with \SpecialChar LaTeX
757 \SpecialChar endofsentence
761 \begin_layout Description
762 styles: Descriptions of the default behavior of particular elements of \SpecialChar LaTeX
766 \begin_layout Description
768 : Visual, WYSIWYM document processor that uses \SpecialChar LaTeX
769 to do its typesetting.
772 \begin_layout Standard
773 This section attempts to explain the difference between \SpecialChar LyX
774 and a word processor.
775 Simply put, \SpecialChar LaTeX
777 By using \SpecialChar LaTeX
778 as its backend, \SpecialChar LyX
779 helps you to think more about
788 The computer then handles
795 \begin_layout Section
796 Navigating the Documentation
799 \begin_layout Standard
800 To make it easier to answer your questions and describe all of the features
802 , the documentation has been split up into several different files.
803 Each one has its own purpose, as described below.
804 Before you go ploughing into any of those files, however, you should read
805 this chapter thoroughly, since it contains a lot of useful information
806 and commentary that can save you some time.
809 \begin_layout Standard
810 Hopefully, the development of \SpecialChar LyX
811 will never stop; so some of the documentation
812 may be incomplete or a bit out of date, though we try to keep up-to-date.
813 Like the rest of \SpecialChar LyX
814 , the manuals are the work of a group of volunteers who
816 \begin_inset Quotes eld
820 \begin_inset Quotes erd
823 , families, dishes to clean,
828 If you want to help out, be sure to read Section
833 \begin_inset CommandInset ref
835 reference "sec:Contrib"
839 in addition to the rest of this document.
842 \begin_layout Standard
843 Also, please do us a favor – if anything in these manuals confuses you,
844 is unclear, or wrong, don't hesitate to let us know! You can reach the
845 current document maintainers by emailing
846 \begin_inset CommandInset href
848 target "lyx-docs@lists.lyx.org"
855 If you have questions that are not obviously answered in the documentation,
856 and need help fast, there is an active users' mailing list which you can
858 \begin_inset CommandInset href
860 target "lyx-users@lists.lyx.org"
869 \begin_layout Subsection
870 The Format of the Manuals
873 \begin_layout Standard
874 Some of you may have printed out the manuals.
875 Others may be reading them within \SpecialChar LyX
877 There are some differences between the \SpecialChar LyX
878 -file and the printed version.
880 , the title is simply at the top of the document, not formatted on a
881 separate page as in some of the printed versions.
882 Nor are any of the footnotes or the Table of Contents fully visible.
883 To open a footnote, which looks like this:
884 \begin_inset Graphics
885 filename ../../../../lib/doc/clipart/footnote.png
890 , click on it with the left mouse button.
891 For the Table of Contents, either click on the grey box or click on the
896 menu, where the contents are displayed automatically\SpecialChar endofsentence
900 \begin_layout Standard
901 In the printed manuals, all cross-references appear as the actual numbers
902 for a chapter, section, subsection, and so on.
903 In the \SpecialChar LyX
904 -file, however, all cross-references appear as light-grey boxes
906 \begin_inset Graphics
907 filename ../../../../lib/doc/clipart/reference.png
913 If you click on such a box with the left mouse button, a dialog box will
914 appear containing a list of all the cross-references in the document.
915 You can go to the referenced section by right-clicking on the box or by
928 in the opened dialog.
929 Going back to where you came from is just as easy.
938 to go back to your earlier location.
941 \begin_layout Standard
942 Now that we've cleared up some of the differences between the printed and
944 -file versions of this file, we can start looking at the format of this
946 You'll occasionally notice things in different fonts:
949 \begin_layout Itemize
954 is used for general emphasis, generic arguments, book titles, names of
955 sections of other manuals, and notes from the authors.
958 \begin_layout Itemize
963 is used for program and file names, \SpecialChar LyX
967 \begin_layout Itemize
972 is used for menu, button, or dialog box names, and the names of keyboard
976 \begin_layout Itemize
981 is used for people's names.
984 \begin_layout Itemize
989 is used for \SpecialChar LaTeX
993 \begin_layout Standard
994 When we do need to reference keys, we'll use the following prefixing convention:
997 \begin_layout Itemize
998 \begin_inset Quotes eld
1006 \begin_inset Quotes erd
1016 \begin_layout Itemize
1017 \begin_inset Quotes eld
1025 \begin_inset Quotes erd
1035 \begin_layout Itemize
1036 \begin_inset Quotes eld
1044 \begin_inset Quotes erd
1058 \begin_layout Itemize
1059 \begin_inset Quotes eld
1067 \begin_inset Quotes erd
1072 \begin_inset Quotes eld
1080 \begin_inset Quotes erd
1083 are the function keys.
1086 \begin_layout Itemize
1087 \begin_inset Quotes eld
1095 \begin_inset Quotes erd
1101 \begin_layout Itemize
1102 \begin_inset Quotes eld
1110 \begin_inset Quotes erd
1114 \begin_inset Quotes eld
1122 \begin_inset Quotes erd
1126 \begin_inset Quotes eld
1134 \begin_inset Quotes erd
1138 \begin_inset Quotes eld
1146 \begin_inset Quotes erd
1152 \begin_layout Itemize
1155 \begin_inset Quotes eld
1161 \begin_inset Quotes erd
1165 \begin_inset Quotes eld
1173 \begin_inset Quotes erd
1177 \begin_inset Quotes eld
1185 \begin_inset Quotes erd
1189 \begin_inset Quotes eld
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1201 \begin_inset Quotes eld
1209 \begin_inset Quotes erd
1213 \begin_inset Quotes eld
1221 \begin_inset Quotes erd
1225 \begin_inset space ~
1228 keys that appear above the cursor keys on many PC keyboards.
1230 \begin_inset Quotes eld
1238 \begin_inset Quotes erd
1242 \begin_inset Quotes eld
1250 \begin_inset Quotes erd
1254 \begin_inset Quotes eld
1262 \begin_inset Quotes erd
1266 \begin_inset Quotes eld
1274 \begin_inset Quotes erd
1280 \begin_layout Itemize
1289 both refer to the same key.
1290 Some keyboards label the
1295 \begin_inset Quotes eld
1299 \begin_inset Quotes erd
1303 \begin_inset Quotes eld
1307 \begin_inset Quotes erd
1310 still others have two keys.
1312 treats all of them as the same key, so we'll use
1323 \begin_layout Standard
1324 The list with the currently set shortcuts can be found in the
1335 \begin_layout Subsection
1336 Units used in the Manuals
1339 \begin_layout Standard
1340 To understand the units described in this documentation, Table
1341 \begin_inset space ~
1345 \begin_inset CommandInset ref
1347 reference "tab:Units"
1351 explains all units available in \SpecialChar LyX
1355 \begin_layout Standard
1356 \begin_inset Float table
1363 \begin_layout Plain Layout
1364 \begin_inset Caption Standard
1366 \begin_layout Plain Layout
1367 \begin_inset CommandInset label
1381 \begin_layout Plain Layout
1382 \begin_inset VSpace medskip
1388 \begin_layout Plain Layout
1390 \begin_inset Tabular
1391 <lyxtabular version="3" rows="20" columns="2">
1392 <features booktabs="true" tabularvalignment="middle">
1393 <column alignment="center" valignment="top" width="0pt">
1394 <column alignment="center" valignment="top">
1396 <cell alignment="center" valignment="top" topline="true" bottomline="true" usebox="none">
1399 \begin_layout Plain Layout
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1408 \begin_layout Plain Layout
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1470 \begin_inset space \thinspace{}
1474 \begin_inset space \thinspace{}
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1487 \begin_layout Plain Layout
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1496 \begin_layout Plain Layout
1498 \begin_inset space \thinspace{}
1502 \begin_inset space \thinspace{}
1512 <cell alignment="center" valignment="top" topline="true" leftline="true" usebox="none">
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1580 \begin_layout Plain Layout
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1608 \begin_layout Plain Layout
1610 \begin_inset space \thinspace{}
1614 \begin_inset Formula $\approx$
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1631 \begin_layout Plain Layout
1637 <cell alignment="center" valignment="top" topline="true" leftline="true" rightline="true" usebox="none">
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1659 \begin_layout Plain Layout
1665 <cell alignment="center" valignment="top" topline="true" leftline="true" rightline="true" usebox="none">
1668 \begin_layout Plain Layout
1669 % of original image width
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1679 \begin_layout Plain Layout
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1728 \begin_layout Plain Layout
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1768 \begin_layout Plain Layout
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1785 <cell alignment="center" valignment="top" topline="true" leftline="true" rightline="true" usebox="none">
1788 \begin_layout Plain Layout
1796 <cell alignment="center" valignment="top" topline="true" leftline="true" usebox="none">
1799 \begin_layout Plain Layout
1805 <cell alignment="center" valignment="top" topline="true" leftline="true" rightline="true" usebox="none">
1808 \begin_layout Plain Layout
1820 <cell alignment="center" valignment="top" topline="true" leftline="true" usebox="none">
1823 \begin_layout Plain Layout
1829 <cell alignment="center" valignment="top" topline="true" leftline="true" rightline="true" usebox="none">
1832 \begin_layout Plain Layout
1844 <cell alignment="center" valignment="top" topline="true" bottomline="true" leftline="true" usebox="none">
1847 \begin_layout Plain Layout
1853 <cell alignment="center" valignment="top" topline="true" bottomline="true" leftline="true" rightline="true" usebox="none">
1856 \begin_layout Plain Layout
1858 \begin_inset space \thinspace{}
1862 \begin_inset space \thinspace{}
1883 \begin_layout Subsection
1887 \begin_layout Standard
1888 The following list describes the contents of the basic documentation files
1889 that you find in the
1896 \begin_layout Description
1897 Introduction This file.
1900 \begin_layout Description
1901 Tutorial If you are new to \SpecialChar LyX
1902 , and have never used \SpecialChar LaTeX
1903 before, you should start
1905 If you have used \SpecialChar LaTeX
1906 before, you should still read the
1910 , starting with the section on
1911 \begin_inset Quotes eld
1915 for \SpecialChar LaTeX
1917 \begin_inset Quotes erd
1920 (Skimming through the rest of the document wouldn't hurt, either.)
1923 \begin_layout Description
1925 \begin_inset space ~
1928 Guide The primary documentation.
1933 of the basic operation and available features of \SpecialChar LyX
1935 The main manual assumes that you have read the
1942 \begin_layout Description
1944 \begin_inset space ~
1947 Objects Extension of the
1952 Documents in detail how to use tables, graphics, floats, notes, program
1954 It also includes many tricks of the \SpecialChar LaTeX
1958 \begin_layout Description
1959 Math Extension of the
1964 Documents in detail how to typeset any kind of formula.
1967 \begin_layout Description
1969 \begin_inset space ~
1972 Features Extension of the
1977 Documents how to use raw \SpecialChar LaTeX
1978 commands, additional layouts and special-purpose
1982 \begin_layout Description
1983 Customization A description of advanced \SpecialChar LyX
1984 features, including how to customize
1985 the overall behavior of \SpecialChar LyX
1986 \SpecialChar endofsentence
1987 This includes such things as keybindings, internationa
1988 lization and configuration files.
1989 It also includes information about layout files, which are needed to get
1991 to support \SpecialChar LaTeX
1992 classes or packages.
1995 \begin_layout Description
1996 Shortcuts Tables of the currently defined \SpecialChar LyX
2000 \begin_layout Description
2003 \begin_inset space ~
2006 Configuration A report produced by \SpecialChar LyX
2008 This file contains information on what \SpecialChar LyX
2009 learned about your installation.
2010 Check it to see if you're missing something you might like to have.
2013 \begin_layout Standard
2014 These files will reference one another as necessary.
2023 information on installation and customization, but refers the reader to
2026 Customization Manual
2028 for more information.
2031 \begin_layout Standard
2032 We'll state again an important point:
2035 \begin_layout Standard
2036 \begin_inset VSpace bigskip
2042 \begin_layout Standard
2044 If you are new to \SpecialChar LyX
2050 Now\SpecialChar endofsentence
2054 \begin_layout Standard
2055 \begin_inset VSpace bigskip
2061 \begin_layout Standard
2062 Otherwise, you could needlessly frustrate yourself.
2065 \begin_layout Section
2066 Contributing to the \SpecialChar LyX
2068 \begin_inset CommandInset label
2077 \begin_layout Subsection
2078 Contributing to \SpecialChar LyX
2082 \begin_layout Standard
2084 is mostly written in C++ (the \SpecialChar LaTeX
2085 importer is written in Python).
2086 It is a large project, and as a result it is not free from bugs, or the
2087 need for improvements in the source code.
2090 \begin_layout Subsubsection
2094 \begin_layout Standard
2095 While using \SpecialChar LyX
2096 , you may find behavior which you consider a bug.
2097 Crashes, though rare, can happen.
2098 User interface problems are considered major bugs by the \SpecialChar LyX
2100 helpful are indications of parts of the \SpecialChar LyX
2101 interface you find confusing,
2105 \begin_layout Standard
2107 has a bug tracking system, which you can find at
2108 \begin_inset Newline newline
2112 \begin_inset CommandInset href
2114 target "https://www.lyx.org/trac/wiki/BugTrackerHome"
2119 You should check the bug tracker before reporting any bugs, in case it
2120 has already been reported.
2121 If you have a comment on an existing bug, or wish to report a new bug,
2122 you may either use the bug tracker, or send an e-mail to the development
2124 \begin_inset CommandInset href
2126 target "lyx-devel@lists.lyx.org"
2133 Archives of this list are linked from the main \SpecialChar LyX
2135 \begin_inset CommandInset href
2137 target "http://www.lyx.org"
2144 \begin_layout Standard
2145 A useful bug report will at a minimum include the version of \SpecialChar LyX
2148 Accurate, detailed descriptions are preferred — the more time developers
2149 have to spend to pinpoint the source of a bug, the less time they have
2150 for other improvements.
2151 Mention the system and system version on which you are running \SpecialChar LyX
2153 Give the versions of the libraries you have installed on your system, and,
2154 if relevant, the versions of external programs that \SpecialChar LyX
2156 If it's a compilation or configuration problem, include the file
2160 , and mention which compiler you are using.
2163 \begin_layout Subsubsection
2164 Contributing fixes and new features
2167 \begin_layout Standard
2168 If you have made changes to \SpecialChar LyX
2169 's source that you think should become part
2171 , send your changes as a diff file (in unified format) to the development
2172 list referenced above, along with a change log, and a description of what
2176 \begin_layout Subsection
2177 Contributing to the Documentation
2180 \begin_layout Standard
2182 's documentation is extensive; however \SpecialChar LyX
2183 is under constant development, and
2184 each new release adds new features.
2185 You may find some documentation needs improvement.
2186 This section describes what to do if you find an error, or have some suggestion
2187 s for improving the documentation.
2190 \begin_layout Subsubsection
2191 Reporting Errors in the Manuals
2194 \begin_layout Standard
2195 If you find a problem with the documentation, send a message to the mailing
2197 \begin_inset CommandInset href
2199 target "lyx-docs@lists.lyx.org"
2206 The documentation team will make any necessary fixes.
2209 \begin_layout Subsubsection
2210 Joining the Documentation Team.
2213 \begin_layout Standard
2214 The \SpecialChar LyX
2215 Documentation Project, like anything else in the \SpecialChar LyX
2217 use assistance! If you're interested in contributing to the Documentation
2218 Project, you need to do the following:
2221 \begin_layout Enumerate
2222 Get the latest \SpecialChar LyX
2224 \begin_inset Newline newline
2228 \begin_inset CommandInset href
2230 target "https://www.lyx.org/trac/browser/lyxgit/lib/doc?rev=master "
2237 \begin_layout Enumerate
2247 \begin_inset Newline newline
2250 The point of this exercise is to give you ideas.
2259 are likely to be the most up-to-date of all of the documentation.
2260 You should be able to glean some insights into how we want the manuals
2261 to read and to look.
2264 \begin_layout Enumerate
2265 Contact the team at:
2266 \begin_inset Newline newline
2270 \begin_inset CommandInset href
2272 target "lyx-docs@lists.lyx.org"
2279 \begin_inset Newline newline
2282 to discuss your intended changes and to get some feedback on them.
2285 \begin_layout Standard
2286 The changes you wish to make may range from improving clarity of the text,
2287 to doing major re-structuring of the documentation.
2288 Any and all improvements are gladly received.